Undesirable
behavior can be caused by many things, including undetected illness. No
behavior modification program should begin without first taking the dog to
a veterinarian for a complete physical examination. While you're there,
give your vet a printed copy of this page and ask if it would be an
appropriate technique for you to try. The NILIF program is an accepted
standard in dog training/behavior but it is not, and is not intended to
be, a substitute for an in-person, professional evaluation of your dog's
behavior. This technique is intended for dogs in good health and of sound
mind and stable temperament.

The NILIF
program is remarkable because it's effective for such a wide
variety of problems. A shy, timid dog becomes more relaxed
knowing that he has nothing to worry about, his owner is in
charge of all things. A dog that's pushing too hard to become
"top dog" learns that the position is not available and
that his life is far more enjoyable without the title.

It is equally successful with dogs that fall anywhere between
those two extremes. The program is not difficult to put into
effect and it's not time consuming if the dog already knows a few
basic obedience commands. I've never seen this
technique fail to bring about a positive change in behavior,
however, the change can be more profound in some dogs than
others. Most owners use this program in conjunction with other
behavior modification techniques such as coping with fear or
treatment for aggression. It is a perfectly suitable technique
for the dog with no major behavior problems that just needs some
fine tuning.

ATTENTION
ON DEMAND
The program begins by eliminating attention on demand. When your
dog comes to you and nudges your hand, saying "pet me! pet
me!" ignore him. Don't tell him "no", don't push
him away. Simply pretend you don't notice him. This has worked
for him before, so don't be surprised if he tries harder to get
your attention. When he figures out that this no longer works,
he'll stop. In a pack situation, the top ranking dogs can demand
attention from the lower ranking ones, not the other way around.
When you give your dog attention on demand you're telling him
that he has more status in the pack than you do. Timid dogs become stressed by having this
power and may become clingy. They're never sure when you'll be in
charge so they can't relax. What if something scary happens, like
a stranger coming in the house? Who will handle that? The timid
dog that is demanding of attention can be on edge a lot of the
time because he has more responsibility than he can handle.

Some dogs see their ability to demand attention as confirmation
that they are the "alpha", then become difficult to
handle when told to "sit" or "down" or some
other demand is placed on them. It is not their leadership status that
stresses them out, it's the lack of consistency. They may or may
not actually be alpha material, but having no one in the pack
that is clearly the leader is a bigger problem than having the dog
assume that role full time. Dogs are happiest when the pack order
is stable. Tension is created by a constant fluctuation of pack
leadership.EXTINCTION
BURSTS
Your dog already knows that he can demand your attention and he
knows what works to get that to happen. As of today, it no longer
works, but he doesn't know that yet. We all try harder at
something we know works when it stops working. If I gave you a
twenty dollar bill every time you clapped your hands together,
you'd clap a lot. But, if I suddenly stopped handing you money,
even though you were still clapping, you'd clap more and clap
louder. You might even get closer to me to make sure I was
noticing that you were clapping. You might even shout at me
"Hey! I'm clapping like crazy over here, where's the
money?". If I didn't respond at all, in any way, you'd stop.
It wasn't working anymore. That last try -- that loud, frequent
clapping is an extinction burst. If, however, during that
extinction burst, I gave you another twenty dollar bill you'd be
right back in it. It would take a lot longer to get you to stop
clapping because you just learned that if you try hard enough, it
will work.

When your dog learns that the behaviors that used to get him your
attention don't work any more he's going to try harder and he's
going to have an extinction burst. If you give him attention
during that time you will have to work that much harder to get
him turned around again. Telling him "no" or pushing
him away is not the kind of attention he's after, but it's still
attention. Completely ignoring him will work faster and better.

YOU
HAVE THE POWER
As the human and as his owner you have control of all things that are
wonderful in his life. This is the backbone of the NILIF program.
You control all of the resources. Playing, attention, food,
walks, going in and out of the door, going for a ride in the car,
going to the dog park. Anything and everything that your dog
wants comes from you. If he's been getting most of these things
for free there is no real reason for him to respect your
leadership or your ownership of these things. Again, a timid dog
is going to be stressed by this situation, a pushy dog is going
to be difficult to handle. Both of them would prefer to have you
in charge.

To implement the NILIF program you simply have to have your dog
earn his use of your resources. He's hungry? No problem, he
simply has to sit before his bowl is put down. He wants to play
fetch? Great! He has to "down" before you throw the
ball. Want to go for a walk or a ride? He has to sit to get his
lead snapped on and has to sit while the front door is opened. He
has to sit and wait while the car door is opened and listen for
the word (I use "OK") that means "get into the
car". When you return he has to wait for the word that means
"get out of the car" even if the door is wide open.
Don't be too hard on him. He's already learned that he can make
all of these decisions on his own. He has a strong history of
being in control of when he gets these resources. Enforce the new
rules, but keep in mind that he's only doing what he's been
taught to do and he's going to need some time to get the hang of
it all.

You're going to have to pay attention to things that you probably
haven't noticed before. If you feed your dog from your plate do
you just toss him a green bean? No more. He has to earn it. You
don't have to use standard obedience commands, any kind of action
will do. If your dog knows "shake" or "spin
around" or "speak" use those commands. Does your
dog sleep on your bed? Teach him that he has to wait for you to
say "OK" to get on the bed and he has to get down when
you say "off". Teach him to go to his bed, or other
designated spot, on command. When he goes to his spot and lays
down tell him "stay" and then release him with a treat
reward. Having a particular spot where he stays
is very helpful for when you have guests or otherwise need him
out of the way for a while. It also teaches him that free run of
the house is a resource that you control.
There are probably many things that your dog sees as valuable
resources that I haven't mentioned here.

The NILIF program should
not be a long, drawn out process. All you need to do is enforce a
simple command before allowing him access to what he wants.
Dinner, for example, should be a two or three second encounter
that consists of nothing more than saying "sit", then
"good dog!", then putting the bowl down and walking
away.

ATTENTION
AND PLAY
Now that your dog is no longer calling the shots you will have to
make an extra effort to provide him with attention and play time.
Call him to you, have him "sit" and then lavish him with as much attention
as you want. Have him go get his favorite toy
and play as long as you both have the energy. The difference is
that now you will be the one initiating the attention and
beginning the play time. He's going to depend on you now, a lot
more than before, to see that he gets what he needs. What he
needs most is quality time with you. This would be a good time to
enroll in a group obedience class. If his basic obedience is top
notch, see about joining an agility class or fly ball team.

NILIF DOES *NOT* MEAN THAT
YOU HAVE TO RESTRICT THE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION YOU GIVE TO YOUR DOG. The NILIF
concept speaks to who initiates the attention (you!), not the amount of
attention. Go ahead and call your dog to you 100 times a day for hugs and
kisses!! You can demand his attention, he can no longer demand
yours!

Within a day or two your dog will see you in a whole new light
and will be eager to learn more. Use this time to teach new
things, such as 'roll over' or learn the specific names of
different toys.

If you have a shy dog, you'll see a more relaxed dog. There is no
longer any reason to worry about much of anything. He now has
complete faith in you as his protector and guide. If you have a
pushy dog he'll be glad that the fight for leadership is over and
his new role is that of devoted and adored pet.